Chapter 3 – Fate was Stronger than I Thought

“Tell me right now.”

Hayeon shot me a stern gaze, questioning what I was hiding.

Don’t tell me, did she notice that I wasn’t the original Han Sijoon, but rather, another Han Sijoon?

Considering how many years she’s known him, it’s more than possible for her to pick up any changes in her childhood friend.

When the unsettling thought crossed my mind, I wasn’t able to hide the panic in my voice.

“A-About… What.”

“I already know everything, so don’t try to hide and come out with it. I’ll let you off the hook if you tell me now.”

…She knows?

Did she know I was possessing this body?

Let’s calm down. Calm down.

I don’t think that’s what she meant. Let’s not jump into conclusions.

When Sijoon had hid something from Hayeon, she badgered him for a week and searched for clues to what he was “hiding.”

First things first…

If there was meaning behind a person’s action, then every action was connected like all organisms. What conveyed the meaning of the action the quickest was the body’s movement.

I checked her posture.

Hm…

Her folded arms and crossed legs were proof that she was uncomfortable with the current situation. She was quite displeased by whatever I wasn’t revealing.

Just why though?

I didn’t have memories that existed up to this point. The original Han Sijoon’s memories were very fragmented with only pieces of the important events remaining. This included the fragmented memory of what happened when he deceived Hayeon and she sulked for a week.

Tap Tap.

Judging by her ticking finger, I didn’t have much time left. 

I hurriedly checked her expression.

She sure was freaking pretty though.

The delicate construct of her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Those cat-like eyes and sharp features of hers, which gave off a chic city girl impression.

She was tall and skinny, the definition of slender.

While I was admiring Hayeon’s looks, the time bomb continued to tick.

“I’ll give you 10 seconds. 10. 9. 8…”

“W-Wait, I’ll tell you. I will.”

There was a hint of anger on Hayeon’s face.

Her bulging eyes.

The vein on her temple.

Ah, it’s definitely going to pop.

During this pressing moment, I could spot a deceptive feature on her face.

Her pupils were slightly shaking. The fact they were shaking conveyed she was tensing up.  

Why was she tensing up?

Was it to act angry on purpose?

No, she was genuinely angry, but it had something to do with what I was hiding.

Then what?

I already knew the answer.

With the gears smoothly turning in my head, I was able to connect the dots about what had been hidden from Hayeon.

“It could just be my imagination, but I was like that because my heart ached a little.”

[Stamina 2]

Compared to the average stamina of 4, my stamina boasted an astounding number of 2.

That value was lower than the average person’s stamina.

[Magic 0]

A disease where one was not born with a core, which housed the body’s magic, thereby resulting in a volume overload in the heart.

This is what happens?

I saw the memory of this body spending its childhood sick in bed.

Healthy was a word far from describing me.

That was for…

“You…”

That was a word befitting of Yoo Hayeon, a prospective S-Rank.

“I told you to tell me first if you’re sick, didn’t I?”

Hayeon’s voice quivered and her face puckered, ready to burst into tears.

“Hey, you said you’d let me off the hook if I told you the tru…”

“Do you think this and that are the same? Idiot!! Do you really want to see me lose it?!”

Oh, that last part’s a bit…

Still, it’s nice that my childhood friend was looking out for me.

Hayeon must’ve forgotten we were on a train since she let out an exasperated sound.

“Hey, calm down for now… I could just be imagining it.”

“How can you say you’re imagining the pain in your heart?! If anything happens to you, I…”

Hayeon’s voice continued to get louder so I covered her mouth.

However, what was already said had been heard as her voice echoed throughout the train, causing a small murmur.

“Oh my, what’s going on?”

“I think he cheated on her…”

“Tsk, tsk. You can’t have a man like that.”

People started to misunderstand me after hearing Hayeon’s outburst.

As each person added their input, the story started off as us having a verbal fight, switching to me cheating in the middle, then finally concluding with me being a two-timing trash.

A girl in a school uniform quietly spat out, “…What a lowlife.” 

That’s right. In less than a minute, I was branded as garbage by the people on the train.

This was all thanks to that cursed fate.

As soon as I heard we had arrived at the station, I pulled the seated Hayeon, who was calming down.

“…What are you doing?”

Of course, she didn’t even budge. 

My childhood friend was more troublesome than I thought.

***

The Hero Academy was famous for having a complicated admission process.

In the third year of middle school, students had a physical examination. Among those who passed the standard criteria, they would be inquired if they would like to enroll in the academy.

The students who said yes would be gathered and examined before the commencement of the entrance ceremony. The stat results from the examination was the standard for assessing the students.

Although I wondered how I managed to pass their sacred test standards, I decided not to pay much attention to it.

That aside…

“Stop looking at them. It’s more embarrassing for me.” 

“They’re the ones who keep staring though, Sijoon? Can’t you see that?”

I can.

Many gazes were on me.

Rumors of me being a vulgar womanizer had spread on the train.

Hayeon was growling and attempting to ward off the eyes.

“They’re looking at you with contempt… So much contempt…”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

I looked at Hayeon with resentment, but she didn’t seem to hear me. It was as if she was absorbed in her glaring. 

Wait, are you pretending to be clueless?

I wouldn’t know if she was.

I endured the murmurs and arrived at the admission’s office.

We stepped into the place where they checked the students’ stats before they attended the entrance ceremony.

“Please come on in. We welcome you to the Hero Academy!”

When the automatic door opened, the guides greeted us students.

Hayeon took out a pile of documents from her bag and handed it over to them.

“The two of you are Yoo Hayeon and Han Sijoon, is that correct?”

When we simultaneously replied, “Yes,” there was a guide assigned to both of us to proceed with the examination.

“We can’t get examined together?” Hayeon innocently asked the guide.

“Yes, you can’t.”

Hayeon looked depressed when she heard the reply. She had a worried expression as she was dragged away by her guide.

“…Is she gone?”

Phew. I worked up a sweat.

It was a good thing she’d checked my heart on our way to the academy. Regardless, I’m glad she didn’t raise a fuss as she left.

“You two must be on good terms.”

“…No.”

Even though I have these memories, it was my first time meeting her.

The guide was greatly misconstrued.

Afterwards, I was dragged around by the guide and underwent numerous examinations.

There was a strength test which measured the total amount of force the individual exerted onto a large orb; an agility test which measured one’s reaction by having the individual chase a given mark with their eyes and press the corresponding button to a number; a stamina test which measured the time it took for the individual to tire out as the amount of physicals increased; a magic test to measure the amount of magic in one’s body.

[Strength 2]

[Agility 3]

[Stamina 2]

[Magic 0]

Aside from fortitude, which was impossible to measure, the results, well, were no different from my initial stats.

The examiner’s expression gradually darkened as the test results came out, but that’s none of my concern.

They weren’t the ones who were going to admit me, it was the academy.

Don’t tell me they’re going to drop me?

There’s no way.

As I was fretting about the unnecessary, I reached the last stage, the interview.

“This way.”

I followed the guide and opened the door to find a woman sitting there.

Based on her outfit and appearance, she seemed to be in her 20s. She looked to be the interviewer.

“Come and take a seat.”

I heeded the interviewer’s soft words and sat down in front of her.

Flop.

She emitted a distinct red aura. Her red hair and red eyes could come off as strong, but for some reason, her redness evoked a warm feeling.

A woman with an appearance difficult to forget.

I’ve seen her in the game before.

Red hair and red eyes.

She was a teacher from the original V. AGE, and the character I often used as a party member.

She appeared to be taking the role of the interviewer.

Her name was…

Shin Sihwa.

That was what she was called, I believe.

Unlike other teachers, she was kind to her students. She was also popular with other players due to her friendly personality.

Sihwa was seated 90 degrees on a chair, reading through my documents.

The warm-hearted woman looked at my test results and expressed her awe.

“Woah…”

What’s with that reaction?

Her reaction was so pure it reminded me of how a kindergarten student would react when visiting an amusement park for the first time.

Sihwa suddenly began to mumble to herself.

“How did he pass? What kind of abilities does he have? No… He has zero magic… Wait, is he even human?”

I can hear you, miss.

Perplexed, she rolled her eyes and began to peruse the papers.

“Oh dear… I know I didn’t read it wrong…”

Suffering from cognitive dissonance, Sihwa let out a deep sigh as she reread the paper several times and yet the numbers did not change.

Huuu.

After taking a deep breath and looking confused, she composed herself and inquired me in a soft tone.

“How on earth did you get admitted… No, that’s not right, what made you enroll in this school?”

Despite the small confusion, it was a simple interview question.

Whatever answer I gave, I would still be admitted.

But I couldn’t respond.

How do I say, I followed my childhood friend here…?

Even though it was so damn embarrassing…

I couldn’t give her an answer.